This invention concerns an improvement to a method or apparatus for rule processing preferably utilizing zero-suppressed binary decision diagrams (ZDDs) to express and manipulate a business rule, but more specifically, to a method or an apparatus to generate valid combinations of features or components of a product or service for selection by a user based on an arbitrary set of input specifications.
Specialized rule processing or artificial intelligence (AI) applications are often employed to produce valid combinations of compatible product components, features, or operational characteristics. These applications typically display a table of alternatives product selections on a computer monitor given an arbitrary set of search criteria supplied by an end user, such as a customer engaged in on-line shopping. It becomes a challenge to generate compatible product or service configurations when subparts or components of the product or service become numerous thereby exponentially multiplying the number of possible valid or invalid combinations.
For customer service applications, it is also desirable to provide search results instantaneously, e.g., within a couple of seconds or less. For many complex products, such a constraint is difficult to meet with prior systems.
A rule processing system described in the above-mentioned, incorporated U.S. patent application Ser. Nos. 10/101,151 and 10/101,154 utilizes a form a binary decision diagrams (or directed acylic graphs) to provide a user with conflict and selection advice based on a given set of input parameters, therein called attributes and enumerations thereof. To extend the utility of that invention, the present invention also utilizes a form of binary decision diagrams (or directed acylic graph), preferably zero-suppressed binary decision diagrams, to provide an end user or customer with a number of valid choices of product or service configurations based on a given arbitrary set of input parameters, e.g., product specifications. FIG. 1 shows an example of graphic shown on a user interface when a customer seeks to purchase a computer monitor. In the example, the customer may specify attributes, such as a manufacturer, viewable size, interface type, resolution, contrast ratio, or system type. Based on these search criteria, the rule processing system may display all available computer monitors meeting the criteria along with a listing of enumerations, such as product features, characteristics, price, rebates, or other data about each selected product attribute.
The present invention takes advantage of the rule processing procedures of the prior related inventions to provide a user with valid selections of a product or service based on a set of specified inputs or search criteria.